Tiltable print plate hopper for address printing machines



Feb. 3, 1970 E. M. Bmzom TILTABLE PRINT PLATE HOPPER FOR ADDRESS PRINTING MACHINES Filed May 5, 1967 INVFTNTOR. EMILIO M- BINZONI "wa Feb. 3, 1970 E. M. BINZONI 3,492,94l'

TILTABLE PRINT PLATE HOPPER FOR ADDRESS PRINTING MACHINES Filed May 5, 1967 2 She ets-Sheet 2 M fix I I I I /Z I /i I I I I 'II I III" l W EL I F r-fix/flz Ifid I I I II I II I I I E I II I I I I I I I J I? I J78 TI II I {91mm JNVENTOR. EMILIO NLBINZONI BYQMQ ATTO NEY United States Patent 3,492,941 TILTABLE PRINT PLATE HOPPER FOR ADDRESS PRINTING MACHINES Emilio M. Binzoni, Vaud, Switzerland, assignor to Pitney-Bowes, Inc., Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 3, 1967, Ser. No. 635,805 Int. Cl. B411 47/18 US. Cl. 101-47 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plate hopper adapted to contain a stack of metal plates for bottom feeding along a track and pivotally mounted to be moved between a loading and feeding position with means to restrain plates in the loading position.

This invention relates to improvements in addresserprinter machines and particularly to metal plate handling apparatus.

In addresser-printer machines metal plates having raised letters forming an address or other information are used to impress an inked ribbon against a sheet or envelope. The metal plates with the raised letter cause the address or information to be printed on the sheet or envelope. In automatic or semiautomatic machines of the type which utilize these metal plates the plates are stacked in a hopper, fed to a printing station and fed from the printing station to a receiving stacker. The present invention is concerned with the stacker or hopper used to hold the plates prior to feeding to the printing station.

Two prime requirements for any plate hopper or feeding device are reliability of operation and ease of loading. Addresser-printer machines are used to increase the speed and effectiveness of an operator of the machine who must be involved with either loading of the hopper or correcting mis-feeds of the plates. If either of these functions is inconvenient or troublesome, there is lost time in the operation of the machine. Therefore the reliability of operation and the ease of loading of the hopper are essential to efficient use of the machine.

It is therefore an object of this invention to improve the loading and operating characteristics of printing plate hoppers used in addresser-printer type machines.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a feeding hopper for addresser plates which has top loading of a stack of plates, an easily adjustable loading weight to insure reliable feeding of plates and means to prevent plates from falling out of the hopper during loading.

These and other objects of this invention are obtained by means of a plate hopper having a weighted member positioned over the plates and which is mounted to be pivotally swung away with the printing plates and to allow convenient top loading of the plates and has a restraining member which prevents plates from falling out of the hopper during loading.

For a better understanding of the invention as Well as other objects and further features thereof, reference is had to the following detailed description of the invention to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric schematic view of a plate hopper in a plate feeding position.

3,492,941 Patented Feb. 3, 1970 "ice FIGURE 2 is an isometric schematic view of the plate hopper of FIGURE 1 shown in a plate loading position.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a plate hopper taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 4 with the hopper in a plate loading position shown in dotted lines.

FIGURE 4 is a top view of the plate hopper shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a front view of the plate hopper shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is an isometric view of the plates used in the hopper described herein.

A sectional view of the plate hopper embodying the present invention is shown in FIGURE 3. The hopper is enclosed on three sides by a pair of side walls 10a and 10b and a front plate 12 which has a vertical recessed portion 14 as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. The recessed portion extends from the top to bottom of the front plate 12 and has a slot 16 extending down the center thereof. The side walls 10a and 1011 are secured to the front wall 12 and are spaced apart a distance at least equal to the length of the metal plate to be stacked therein. The tray has a bottom member or arresting plate 22 positioned to hold plates 20 in the manner shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. The arresting plate 22 fits into a channel shaped plate track 18 which is used to guide the printing plate 20 along a path of movement to the printing station. The arresting plate 22 holds the printing plates 20 when the hopper is in the loading position. When the hopper is in a plate feeding position as shown in solid lines in FIG. 3 the arresting plate is beneath the level of the top of the track 18 and the plates 20 rest on the track 18.

Printing plates 20 of the type shown in FIG. 6 have an elevated center portion of a width equal to the width of the track 18 so that when a stack of plates 20 rest on the track 18 as shown in FIG. 3 the edge portion of each plate extends down below the top surface of the track 18. The bottom plate of the stack of plates is carried forward along the track out of the hopper by a series of pushers on a chain 24. Therefore in order to allow movement of the bottom plate 20 out of the hopper the side wall 10a on the left hand or downstream side of the hopper as seen in FIG. 5, and as seen in FIG. 4, and extends downward to a point above the track 18 so that the plate 2.0 may be carried forward out of the hopper without engaging the side wall 10a. The arresting plate 22 is connected to and supported by the right hand side wall 10b by means of the tab 23 which projects under side wall 10b and is suitably secured to the outer face thereof as best seen in FIG. 5.

The side walls 10a and 10b are supported by front plate 12 and the entire hopper assembly is supported from the main frame of the machine in which it is to be used. In the figures the main frame is indicated as 26. A bracket 28 is bolted to the frame 26 by means of two nut and bolt assemblies 30 and extends around under the front plate 12 to serve as a support for the hopper in the closed or operating position. The hopper rests on the bracket 28 at points 32. A shaft 34 extends between the sides of the bracket 28 and supports a pair of hookshaped members 36.

The hopper assembly is mounted on the pair of pivot bars or hook-shaped members 36 which in turn are pivotally mounted on the shaft 34 to allow rotation of the hopper. In the operative or plate feeding position the hopper is in the forward position with the front plate 12 resting on the bracket 28 at point 32. When the hopper is moved to the loading position as shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 3 the entire assembly is pivoted about the shaft 34 so that the pivot bars 36 contact a pair of stops 38 mounted on the brackets 28. In this position plates 20 may be loaded into the hopper through the open side of the hopper for subsequent feeding. It can be seen from FIGURE 3 that there is an opening between the front plate 12 and the bottom arresting plate 22 which permits the pusher members on the chain 24 to engage a plate 20 in the hopper and slide it forward beneath the side wall a. When the hopper is moved to the loading position a plate 20 remaining on the arresting plate 22 is in a posi tion to slide through the opening beneath the front wall 12 or when new plates are placed in the hopper the bottom plates are apt to be dislodged through the opening. To prevent movement of the bottom plate through the opening and to hold the bottom plate in position, when the hopper is in loading position a small pivot gate 46 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 42 which is supported by the front wall 12 and is urged towards the opening between the front plate 12 and the arresting plate 22 by means of a torsion spring 40'. The pivot gate 46- prevents any of the printing plates 20 from sliding through the opening while the hopper is in the loading position. When the hopper is returned to the feed position the gate 46is cammed or forced away from the opening against the action of the torsion spring 40 by means of a positioning stop 48. The stop 48 is mounted from the bracket 28. The action of the pivot gate 46 can best be seen in FIG. 3 where it is shown in both the feeding and loading positrons.

When plates 20 are inserted into the hopper a weighted member 50 overlying the printing plates exerts a downward force on the top of the plate to insure feeding of the last few plates and to hold the plates in the hopper. The weight 50 is shaped to conform to the hopper between the side plates 10 and a front plate 12. The bottom configuration of the plate 50 matches the configuration of the printing plates 20 so that even the last plate in the stack is weighted and may be fed without interference. The back of the weight 50 extends upward parallel to the front plate 12 and has a hole 52 therein. A flanged pin member 54 extends through the slot 16 in the front plate 12 and through the hole 52 in the upright portion of the weight 50. The flange on the pin 54 provides a bearing surface against the front plate 12 and the shank of the pin 54 acts as a guide or sliding member in the slot 16. The weight 50 is held on the pin 54 by means of a snapon fastener 56. A handle 58 is secured to the flanged portion of the pin 54 and is used to move the weighted mem ber up and down in the slot 16.

' OPERATION In operation the hopper assembly is in the plate feeding position as shown in FIGURE 1. When the supply of plates 20 in the hopper has been exhausted or depleted to a point where additional plates have to be added to the machine the operator grips the handle 58 and slides the weight 50 to the top of the slot 16 in front plate member 12. In conjunction with the upward movement of the handle 58 a forward movement or movement toward the operator will produce pivoting of the entire hop per about the rod 34- on the pivot bars 36. The entire assembly moves to the plate loading position. In this position the weight member 50 is substantially at the top of the side plates 10 away from the bottom of the hopper assembly thus allowing insertion of a stack of printing plates 20 into the hopper through the remaining open side. The plates 20 are placed flat against the arresting plate 22 standing on edge against the front plate 12. To close the hopper the operator merely picks up the front plate member pivoting the assembly around the rod 34 and allowing the weight 50 to come do n on the top of the stack of printing plates 20. The hopper is now in the feeding position and the printing plates rest on the track 18. The chain 24 may be advanced carrying with it pusher members which will engage the bottom printing plate 20 and slide it forward along the track 18 under the side frame 10.

While the invention has been described with reference to the structure disclosed herein, it is not confined to the details set forth, and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the purposes of the improvements or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A printing plate hopper for an addressing machine of the type which utilizes metal plates with raised letters to imprint information on envelopes or the like, said hopper being adapted to hold a stack of printing plates for individual bottom feed thereof along a plate feeding track of the addressing machine, said hopper comprising:

(A) a unitary assembly having a front wall and opposed side walls secured to said front wall thereby presenting an open back for receiving therethrough a stack of printing plates,

(B) bracket means for mounting said hopper on a portion of an addressing machine in juxtaposition with the plate feeding track of said addressing machine,

(C) means interconnecting said [bracket means and said unitary assembly for pivoting the latter between a substantially vertical plate feeding position and a plate loading position in which said open back of said unitary assembly is disposed away from said addressing machine and is facing upwardly for receiving a stack of printing plates,

(D) an arresting plate supported by one of said side walls adjacent the bottom thereof and in position to be disposed below the level of said plate feeding track when said unitary assembly is in said plate feeding position whereby a stack of plates in said hopper rests on said track,

(E) the other of said side walls terminating downwardly at a level above said track suflicient to allow individual bottom feeding of plates from said unitary assembly along said track,

(F) the bottom of said front wall and said arresting plate being spaced apart to provide an access opening therebetween for an ejecting means of the addressing maehine which moves along the plate feeding track thereof to eject the bottom plate from said unitary assembly beneath said other side wall,

(G) gate means pivotally mounted on said front wall adjacent said access opening in position to normally block said access opening when said unitary assembly is in said plate loading position to prevent movement of plates therethrough, and

(H) means responsive to movement of said unitary assembly to said plate feeding position for pivoting said gate means to an alternate position wherein said gate means is not blocking said access opening.

2. A printing plate hopper as set forth in claim 1 further including a weighted member slidably mounted on said front wall for movement therealong between said side walls, and a handle connected to said weighted member for moving said weighted member and for pivotally moving said unitary assembly between said feeding and loading positions.

3. A printing plate hopper as set forth in claim 1 wherein said gate means includes a pivot gate having a portion adapted to block said access opening when said gate is in one position and another portion projecting away from said one portion, and spring means normally urging said gate toward said one position, and wherein said means for pivoting said gate means comprises camming means mounted on said bracket means in position to intercept said other portion of said gate for 5 6 moving the latter against the action of said spring means 1,728,200 9/ 1929 Elliott 10l--47 in response to movement of said unitary assembly from 2,206,743 7/1940 Elliott 101-57 said loading position to said feeding position thereby un- 2,726,860 12/1955 Luhn 27161 X 2,792,223 5/ 1957 Klippel 271-451 blocking said access opening.

3,097,846 7/1963 Spiazzi 27188 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,448,197 3/1923 Chisholm 10 1 47 1,547,289 7/1925 Barman 101 47 271-61 WILLIAM B. PENN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

